Reunited with Vanima, Elwin took up the reins and guided his pack. Days past him by, but Elwin resisted the urge to find the elf whenever her scent came across him.

"I tried to ignore Silvertree, but I almost lost myself because of it. Elwin, I know you are struggling. Have faith in our love and follow your nose."

Elwin let Vanima's words wash over him and he knew what he had to do. Despite that, his fears held onto him. "I can't do this alone. I need you."

She pressed her body against his and intertwined her tail with his. "If you're in trouble, I will always be there with our family to support you."

With love in his heart and resolve in each step, Elwin ran. This time he did not scamper away but dashed towards a future he would fight and even die for.

Reflecting on Vanima's parting words, Elwin let nature's ambiance wash over him. Following Fraeya's scent, he zeroed in on her location. What he found when he arrived baffled him.

"Lorthen! If you fidget over every sound you hear, you're going to get someone hurt. This may be the farthest you have ever been from home, but you're a forest elf for jukkete's sake. Stop acting like a gotii from the human realm and grow some pambas."

Fraeya's outburst at the young man appeared out of character to Elwin. It had been years since he heard an elf curse in the old tongue. He turned his attention to the second man holding a bow, arrow nocked and ready. She turned her ire on him.

"Morco, how many times have I told you that there is no reason for you to be armed the entire time? How will you ever learn to react and draw an arrow properly if you never give yourself the chance? Keerla even offered to train you and she is one of the best archers we have."

Both men mumbled under their breath. Morco rolled his eyes and Lorthen just smirked. Fraeya let out a sigh and continued walking.

Elwin felt bad for Fraeya, so he decided to mess with the two idiots giving Fraeya such a hard time. He snuck behind them and stepped on a twig causing it to snap. Both men jerked around. Lorthen yanked out his sword so hard that his arm swung back and bumped into Morco's bow. Startled, Morco accidentally released the readied arrow. It flew in Elwin's direction. He had been prepared for that inevitability and deftly dodged it.

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Proud of his accomplishment, Elwin swung around and brushed against Fraeya's leg before she could berate the men for their incompetence. Her body tensed at the surprise but relaxed when she saw him. Ignoring the two elves, she knelt and sunk her fingers deep in his fur then brought him in for a hug.

She whispered in his ear, "I know what you did to them and I appreciate the gesture. I'm glad the arrow didn't hit you. Thank you for coming back. I didn't know if I would ever see you again."

When she let go, he licked her face and wagged his tail. That's when Lorthen and Morco turned back around and noticed the new addition to the patrol.

Lorthen pointed at Elwin and shouted, "A wolf is attacking!"

Morco shared his friend's sentiment, fumbled for an arrow, then let it fly directly at Elwin.

"Morco no!"

Her warning ignored, Fraeya reacted in an instant pulling out her blade and swinging. The ping of the arrowhead bouncing off the edge of the blade echoed between the trees. In an instant, his beautiful female elf darted forward, punched Morco in the nose with the hilt of her weapon, spun around, and tripped Lorthen before he could defend his friend.

Both men lay on the ground glaring at the woman.

"Listen up you piece of traako. No one threatens or attacks our forest guardian. If you make a move against him again, I will cut you down myself. Do I make myself clear?"

Elwin chuckled at her reaction drawing their attention to him for a moment. I've taken a dump more interesting than them.

Lorthen narrowed his eyes at the wolf, but a snarl from Elwin and a sword to his throat from Fraeya ended the argument. She pointed in the direction she had been walking and said, "Both of you will be taking point. I can't trust you at my back anymore."

Grumbling, they got back on their feet and started walking. Elwin joined Fraeya and continued behind the idiots.

The forest shadows began to darken. The two elves in front started to shiver from the cool breeze. None of this made any sense to Elwin. Realization struck him and he snarled. Everyone stopped to look at him, but his eyes never left the darkness that moved closer.

Fraeya leaned down and asked, "What is it? What's out there?"

Elwin moved to stand between the evil that he knew moved towards them and Fraeya. When the shadows devoured the patrol, even the elves knew that something hunted them. All three faced the encroaching darkness and stood there.

Knowing that they could not survive such an encounter, he began to tug at her pant leg in the opposite direction in an attempt to convince Fraeya to run away.

An eerie sound boomed from the forest causing the two males to quiver in fear. When the beast stepped into view, shrouded in black mist, Elwin looked up at Fraeya and saw the realization in her face.

Does she believe me now?